Forty Little Candy Canes
by Child at Heart Forever
Summary: Princess Peach tasks Mario with spreading a little Christmas cheer- through delivering forty candy canes to the residents of the kingdom. Mario doesn't quite understand why at first, but it's only a matter of time before he does.
1. Part 1

**I've always wantd to do a Christmas/holiday story. I've had several ideas, but none of them were even finished until this one, when I had to experience it myself. :P**

**This is to anyone who's been forced to watch as the people around them have received presents while they're igonred, anyone that goes out of their way to see that everyone's happy, and to anyone that hasn't lost that holiday spark. :)**

* * *

><p>Forty Little Candy Canes<p>

Part 1

The Mushroom Kingdom usually had plenty of snow this time of year, but this year, the citizens were lucky that they had a light frost. No one knew why it was such a green Christmas, but Princess Peach prevented the lack of snow from hindering the people's Christmas spirits.

The resident hero walked through the castle courtyard, the light dust of snow sprinkling on his boots. Despite there being a lackluster snow, it was still a bit nippy outside, so the plumber was all wrapped up in winter wear.

If he was printed on a post card, he'd look terribly out of place.

Mario pushed open the doors to the castle, instantly being greeted by several delighted hellos, good mornings, and happy holidays by the Toads who were scrambled about. Mario waved to them all, watching as six of the seven Mushroom Retainers oversaw the decorating of the castle. One of them quickly ran up to Mario and took a small bow.

"Have you been invited by Princess Peach, or is this a cordial visit?"

"Peach sent me a letter yesterday, but Parakarry didn't deliver until today," Mario explained. "Though if I had known you were busy decorating, I would have stopped by anyway to help out!"

"Oh, no need Mario! Everything is completely under control!"

"Hey!" shouted another Toad, carrying an inexplicably large box. "Where do you want this really heavy, fragile glass orna-" CRASH! "…nevermind!"

The Mushroom Retainer instantly cringed and started hopping away from Mario. "Erm…I'd better go take care of that. Peach is on the top floor, last time I checked."

"Right…thanks."

Avoiding shattered shards of Christmas ornament, Mario carefully made his way to the top of the castle.

. . .

"So, you want to see me, Peach?" Mario asked, adjusting the scarf around his neck. Said princess stood at the other side of the hall, gazing somewhat sadly at the lack of snow covering her kingdom. She then sighed and approached Mario, a smile returning to her face.

"I would have liked to see you yesterday, you know," she began. "But with all the cards and letters to Santa and whatnot, no wonder Parakarry's so behind!"

"Ah, yes, that…" Mario trailed, scratching his head. "What's the big mission you have for me? Be on high alert for Bowser's Christmas kidnapping? Shadow Queen coming back from the dead? Some other bad guy's got some revenge planned? There's an overload of fruitcake? !"

"No, no, nothing like that…" Peach assured, pulling out a bag. "It's something a little more…personal."

Mario was handed the bag, and at Peach's insistence, he peered inside. He was expecting some royal heirloom to be delivered, or maybe even a bunch of presents…

But no. He was greeted by only forty red and white candy canes.

"Uh, Peach…?"

"I know, it seems a little odd…" the princess began, making her way back to the nearest window. "But with this recent "heat wave"…in December…people are kind of forgetting that it's the holidays! A time for being with friends, a time for caring…" She gestured to the bag. "A time for giving…"

"So, you want me to just give these to people?" Mario asked incredulously, staring at the bag.

"I'd do it myself, but being me, I'd probably get kidnapped in the process…"

Mario did not look amused.

"The next best person to do the job would be none other than you, Mario."

Peach clasped her hands together and looked at Mario with her sparkling blue eyes. Mario continued to stare at the bag, completely bewildered by whatever point Peach was trying to make. However, he didn't want to let her down, especially when she was feeling so sensitive about their currently green Christmas. Thus, he smiled and gave her his word that they'd all be delivered.

"Any preferences to who these go to, or is it whoever I see?"

"No one special," Peach replied, handing him a list. "…but here's a few ideas."

With list in hand, Princess Peach sent Mario on his merry way, hoping that he'd learn a lesson that day…

. . .

Mario hadn't even left the castle when he ran into his first candy cane receiver of the day.

"Well, I guess it's starting already…"

He watched as his first stop struggled to get into the door, until it got so bad that Mario had to rush over and help handle the mountain of packages. Once they were settled on a safe spot on the floor, Toad immediately thanked Mario.

"Sorry 'bout that; I wasn't counting on having so many gifts!" he explained, panting. "I couldn't stay and help decorate today because of the errands I had to run…"

"Last minute shopping, Toad?" Mario asked, examining the gifts. Toad nodded eagerly. "Who're all these for? And are any for me?"

He said the last line lightheartedly, which Toad caught on to.

"Ha ha, no, sorry. To be honest, I don't know who these are for!"

Mario tilted his head. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"See, every year I buy a bunch of gifts for charity! I was running a little late this year because Coconut Mall didn't have their "Snowed In" sale! I spent more than I ever did before!" he then smiled. "That's okay, though. Knowing people less fortunate than me will enjoy these presents is enough for me!"

Mario had to admit, it was pretty impressive of Toad to get gifts for people he probably didn't even know. Peach was wrong in this case- Toad definitely had the spirit of Christmas within him.

Then again, he was Toad.

"Here you go, Toad!" Mario said, handing him a candy cane. "You probably deserve this, but I-"

"Oh wow, Mario, thanks!" Toad instantly lit up and accepted the candy cane. "How'd you know I love these?'

Mario blinked in surprise and shrugged. "I…just assumed everyone did, I guess."

Toad placed it in his pocket and heaved his gifts back into his arms. "Well, thanks Mario! I'll have to eat later- I've got to organize all these and help finish the decorating! What're you doing today?"

"I suppose you could say I have a few things to deliver myself," Mario stated, glancing back down at the bag bestowed upon him.

"Have fun!"

"I'll do my best…"

. . .

Mario's next stop was ironically his own house, and he was almost too thrilled about that. He sat his kitchen table, sipping luscious hot cocoa out of his red mug. Luigi sat across from him, stirring the candy cane he'd received in his own cocoa.

"Nothing like adding a peppermint twist, eh, Mario?" Luigi chuckled, stopping to test his combination. "Ah, I sure do know how to make some cocoa!"

"You sure do," Mario agreed. Luigi then set his mug down and stared seriously at his brother.

"So, that letter Peach sent you was to deliver candy canes?"

"Yeah." Mario didn't bother sneaking a look at the bag this time- two canes delivered and he was already less than thrilled. "Peach says people are losing the feel of the holidays just because there's no snow. Toad's really got it down in my opinion, and you- you're always crazy about the holidays!"

That was understatement. Luigi was currently sporting a self-knit green sweater with a picture of a reindeer, every inch of the house had been overtaken by the holidays, and the tree was so overloaded with decorations that it looked like it could fall to any one side at a given moment.

Plus that was just the_ inside_ of the house.

As Luigi admired his work, Mario stared into his cocoa. "I wonder why she's having me do this…"

"I think I know why," Luigi hummed, grinning in spite of himself.

"Really? Care to share?"

"No," Luigi replied cheerfully. "I think you need to figure it out for yourself- you know, if I'm right…"

Mario sighed. "You're no help. Now I have to deliver thirty-eight canes and I don't really know why."

Luigi finished his drink, hopped off his chair, and started to head off to his bedroom, ready to record this particular event in his diary.

"Perhaps you should just do it out of the goodness of your heart, Mario."

Once he disappeared beyond the bedroom door, Mario slung his sack over his shoulder and ventured off again.

"Hmph. If I'm not doing so already…"

. . .

Mario's quest led him over a river and through the woods, just on the outskirts of Diamond City. How Wario managed to build his own city and run a successful incorporation Mario would never know, but he was really curious about why he chose to live in the woods instead.

"Wario always was a strange one…" Mario uttered to himself as he climbed up the steps. He hesitated for a moment, but then finally mustered up the gall to knock on the door. He braced himself for the overbearing scent of garlic to smack him in the face…

…but he definitely wasn't prepared for a girl to answer the door.

"Oh, wow," she said, blinking four times. "Wario must really be popular today!"

"Uh…?"

"Oops! Ha ha, I guess we've never met before! My name's Mona," she giggled, extending her hand. "You must be Mario- Wario talks about you from time to time, and plus who wouldn't be able to recognize such a heroic icon!"

"What're you doing at Wario's house?" Mario blurted out unintentionally. "Definitely not a five star place to be around the holidays…"

"Got that right." Mona leaned in the doorway. "See, I work for Wario, and he owes me my Christmas bonus! But as soon as I got here, he and Waluigi…well…maybe you should just see for yourself."

She gestured for Mario to come in, which Mario reluctantly did. Wario and Waluigi were never up to any good…and this time was not an exception.

They were at the kitchen table, loudly exchanging words and throwing random debris at each other. Waluigi's fists were in the air while Wario's constantly pounded on the table.

"Cough it up already!" Waluigi yelled, refusing to back down.

"No way!" Wario howled back. "You didn't keep up your end of the bargain! You missed the deadline!"

"I did not! Now give me the money you owe me!"

"Wario owes you nothing! Nothing!"

Mona frowned. "See, this is probably a really bad time to ask for my bonus. What's worse is that Wario does owe the money, and his penny-pincher ways are on high gear…"

Mario wasn't paying that much attention to Mona- he was too busy scanning his list, seeing if he really did have to give Wario and Waluigi a candy cane.

Yes, he did, but to his surprise, he owed one to Mona as well.

"I didn't even know her before now," Mario breathed. "How did Peach-"

"Hey, listen up!" Mona yelled cantankerously, a sudden mood change from seconds before. Wario and Waluigi silenced on the spot, staring at the girl that they hadn't even noticed arrived. She marched over and hovered above Wario. "Lighten up, Wario! It's, like, the holidays! That's when you need to be the least greedy-"

"You know I don't care," mumbled Wario.

"Just give Waluigi what you owe him and this whole thing can end!"

"What's in it for me?"

"A candy cane," Mario interrupted, causing the three other heads to turn and face him.

"_Deal_," Wario agreed, tossing a small bundle of money at Waluigi. The bag clonked the purple plumber in the head, resulting in him tipping backward in his chair. Wario then waddled over to Mario and snatched up his candy cane. "Heh heh, suckers…"

Mona helped Waluigi up, the latter feeling a little disoriented.

"Oh man…where'd the shooting star come from, mama?"

"It's Mona," Mona muttered flatly, placing him upright in his chair once again. Mario handed Waluigi his, though he hardly knew it, and gave Mona hers.

"I know we just met and all, but you can have one too."

"Really? !" Mona squealed, dropping Waluigi and his chair in the process. "That's really nice of you, Mario. Thank you!"

Mario just smiled in return.

"It was nice to meet you, Mona. Maybe we can talk again sometime!"

Mona stuck her candy cane in her mouth and nodded eagerly. With that, Mario turned around and waved good-bye, quickly exiting the house. He heard a thump afterwards, followed by, "Why can't you be more like him, huh? !"

. . .

"Well that went…better than I anticipated," Mario deduced, looking over his list once more. "I kind of hope that Waluigi comes back to his senses before Wario ends up stealing his candy cane."

He was in the middle of the parking lot of the mall, weaving his way through the dozens of cars. That was extra peculiar, since most people in the Mushroom Kingdom didn't even need a car, let alone have one.

"Must be something big going on in there," Mario decided, entering through the automatic doors.

He had been tipped off that the next person on the list was at the mall working today, and it was beyond Mario to figure out why.

He was greeted by more Toads than he'd ever seen in all of years of living in the Mushroom Kingdom, plus dozens of other creatures like Koopas, Shy Guys, Bob-ombs, and all the like. They were sprinting around like it was a fire sale, but most of the masses were gathered somewhere near the center of the mall. Curious, Mario battled through the crowd to see just what the commotion was all about.

"Wait yer turn, buddy!" growled a grumpy-looking dad, who had three kids running circles around him. "You might be Mario and all, but you can't just cut in front of us!"

"What're you talking about?" questioned Mario. "I just want to know what all the excitement was about!"

"Ha, who're you tryna kid," scoffed the dad. "Why else would I be standing here, during the Christmas season, in a mall?"

"To buy your darling children a really expensive Christmas present that's running out by the second?"

The dad burst into laughter, causing his children to stop in their tracks and for the people surrounding him to give him dirty looks. Mario chose this opportunity to fight through the crowd once again. When he finally made it to the front, after being pelted by several complaints and insults, he realized just why there were so many people here.

They were here to see Santa.

"Oh, how did I not see this coming," he groaned. He glanced to the right of "Santa" to see an elf that was too tall to play the part…and probably too royal to do so as well.

"Daisy? !" Mario shouted softly, inconspicuously inching his way toward her. "What are you doing here? Of all people to be dressed as an elf in a mall-?"

"Shh! I can't speak right now," Daisy grunted back, lifting a small boy onto Santa, who with closer inspection Mario noticed was Toadsworth.

"But-"

"Look, I need a little extra cash for Christmas," Daisy sighed. "Being a princess doesn't mean I'm rich or can get everything I want…"

Mario leaned out and gawked at Toadsworth. "Why's he here?"

Daisy shrugged. "He does this every Christmas. Says it's his way to spread the joy."

"Hmm…I never knew that."

"So, what do you want?" Daisy whispered once more, lifting another child, this one a small Shy Gal. "You can't stay long- you know most people believe I'm a real elf and that's the real Santa."

"Well, see, Peach asked me to-"

"So, lass, what do you want for Christmas?" Toadsworth asked, throwing out a pretty convincing Christmas laugh afterwards.

"Silly Santa!" giggled the Shy Gal. "I told you yesterday!"

"Oh ho? Well, um, I seem to have forgot! Perhaps you should tell me again, right then?"

"Ha ha ha!" the girl continued to laugh. "You should know already anyway- I sent you a list last week!"

"If Parakarry delivered it yet," muttered Mario under his breath, only to be elbowed by the elf standing next to him.

"Er…yes, yes. Um…it was a bike, wasn't it?"

The Shy Gal stopped laughing and became gravely serious. "No."

"Teddy bear?"

"No."

"A doll."

"Definitely not." The Shy Gal squinted at Toadsworth suspiciously. "Are you even Santa?"

"Ho ho ho, of course! Just…my mind's a bit scrambled this year…"

The Shy Gal continued to stare until she snagged Toadsworth's fake white beard and tore it off in one swift move.

One giant, collective gasp echoed throughout the ocean of people, with Daisy quickly moaning, "Oh, great…"

"SANTA IS A FAKE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" screamed the girl, sending pretty much the entire mall into a frenzy. Mario and Daisy hit the floor as all the Christmas decorations began to collapse while confused and outraged people fled about like a stampede. A few people ran into the garden section to buy pitchforks, torches, and cotton candy and went after Toadsworth.

"Harrumph, I say! Harrumph!"

Most of the people charged after Toadsworth, leaving behind the Christmas wonderland looking like he was hit by a tornado, hurricane, cyclone, _and_ a tropical storm. Mario jumped to his feet and assisted Daisy.

"You can't blame me for that."

Daisy sighed wearily as she returned to her feet as well. "I know, I know…"

As they looked over the spontaneous damage, they heard a light sniffling, and found the Shy Gal sitting on the floor, beginning to sob. All this time she had put so much faith in Santa, and now he possibly wasn't real…?

Mario reached into his sack and did what he came here to do. He handed Daisy the candy cane, briefly explaining why he was here before he was interrupted. Daisy nodded, thanking Mario. However, she turned to the crying girl, eventually walking over and bending down to her level.

"Hey kid," Daisy began, silencing the crying for the moment. "That may not have been Santa, but that doesn't mean he isn't real! You know there's thousands of Santas lined up and down the streets, all encouraging people to do good things for Christmas."

The girl sniffled once again. "I s'pose you're right…"

"Not all of them can be Santa…" Daisy held her candy cane out the girl, her black eyes lighting up with glee and surprise. "…but that doesn't meant one of them can't be, right?"

"Right!" cried the Shy Gal, accepting the candy cane. She then threw her arms around Daisy, catching the princess by surprise. "Thank you, Miss. You're probably a real elf, aren't you?"

Daisy smiled and returned the hug. "Well…I guess you can say that."

Mario watched the scene unfold, and eventually couldn't help but smile himself.

"Well, what do you know?"

. . .

Mario was still frisking about the mall, trying to figure out where the exit was. He was still feeling warm and fuzzy after Daisy's generous gesture, but Mario began to ponder once again as to what Peach's intentions were.

"People forgetting that it's Christmas…besides Wario and Waluigi, I haven't seen one case of lack of holiday cheer."

Now that the mall was much emptier than it was before, it gave Mario some peace of mind to think.

"OH MAN, I NEED HELP!"

Nevermind.

"Hey, looks like there's a little action on this trip after all!" Mario exclaimed, hoisting his bag high onto his shoulder and running off. He ran for nothing, because the source of the cry was window shopping not too far away from him. He ended up skidding to a stop before he crashed into her.

"Toadette…?"

Toadette's braids brushed against her as she greeted the person behind her. "Hi, Mario. If I'd known you were here too, I wouldn't have shouted like that, considering you're a hero and trained to respond to things like that."

"Well, while I'm here, is there anything I can do to help?"

"Probably not," Toadette muttered. "I came here to buy Toad the new high-powered sleek toy train- 'cause you know he likes trains- but there was this sudden mob rush and now there's none left! What am I supposed to get him now?"

Mario suspected that in all of the confusion, flocks of people stopped in last minute to buy the toy. As Toadette moaned to herself, Mario pulled out his list. Toadette was certainly on it, even though she wasn't next. Might as well give it to her now.

"Hey, Toadette, I know you're a little upset and all…" he reached into his bag and pulled out the next candy cane. "…but maybe this will cheer you-"

"EEEEE, MARIO!" Toadette suddenly squealed, startling Mario. "That's a great idea!"

"It is?" Mario squeaked as he had a candy cane in hand one second and none the next. Toadette nodded, cradling the candy cane like it was a delicate treasure.

"Yeah, Toad loves candy canes!" Toadette exclaimed, which Mario could agree with. "Maybe I couldn't get him something fancy, but I'm sure he'll love this just the same. Thank you, Mario. I sure am glad I ran into you today! I'd better go wrap this…later!"

Mario hardly had a chance to tell her goodbye before she ran off faster than Koopa the Quick. It had been a brief meeting, but for some reason, Mario felt that he'd made Toadette's whole week, just by restoring her hope…with a candy cane.

"Wait…who wraps a candy cane?"

. . .

"I can't believe she's making me go this far," Mario huffed, standing at the port. The Toad that was running the place eagerly rushed over to Mario and asked what his destination was.

"Yoshi's Island," Mario replied, the Toad allowing him to step on the boat before jumping on himself.

The ride to Yoshi's Island really wasn't that long- and if you had a high enough view you could see the island from the castle on clear enough days. However, he knew the trip there and back would cut into his delivery time, and he still had a few…outrageous deliveries to make, and he hadn'teven scanned the entire list yet.

"Maybe it's a good time to visit Yoshi though," Mario thought to himself. "I haven't seen him in a while, and he probably doesn't do much for the holidays, being on that island and all…"

**Later-**

"Okay, perhaps I was way wrong."

When he stepped onto the island, it sounded like someone was throwing an island-wide party. A bright light came from the center of the island, along with music and cheering, so Mario pierced into the outer woods to see what lie at the center.

He eventually came to something that he'd never think he'd see on the island-

Thousands of Yoshi getting it down around a campfire.

Mario watched with wonder as a few Shy Guys played some native drums, with others doing the limbo and more with their masks painted tribally and dancing around with spears. A few Yoshi were set to match, with grass skirts, paint on their faces, and some with the ceremonial spears. Young Yoshi kids ran around cheering, simply enjoying the festivities while some food was being prepared off to the side of all the action.

"Wow…" Mario breathed, hardly believing all the celebration. He was then snatched out of his hiding places in the bushes by a Yoshi fully deck out in garb, pulling him into the circle around the fire.

"Happy Holidays, Mario!" cheered Yoshi, starting to dance next to the plumber. "Didja hear about our yearly celebration and decided to stop by?"

"Yearly celebration?" Mario asked, to which Yoshi nodded.

"Yeah, most of my people can't grasp the idea of several holidays a year, but I still wanted to spend time with them during each, so I talked to the elder and we invented our own holiday!"

"What's it called?" Mario noticed a few of the Yoshi dancers gawking at him, so he started dancing wildly as well, which seemed to get their approval.

"New Valen-Patri-Fools-Memor-Ar-Labo-Hallo-Thanks-Hanu-Kwa-mas!" Yoshi explained excitedly. "Or New Valpafomearlahathahankwamas for short. We do fireworks, exchange valentines, wear green, play pranks, remember the Alamo, plant trees, do some labor, pass out candy, eat a feast of fruit, and decorate a tree! Oh, and we light menorahs and spin dreidels and get presents for eight days. Fun stuff."

"You threw every major holiday into one? That…actually sounds like a lot of fun," Mario realized.

"We also have dances that our ancestors used to do," Yoshi explained. "Have to throw the heritage in there somewhere, ya know."

"Yeah…" Mario pulled out his list and checked it twice. "Um, I came here to give you, Birdo, and apparently a White Shy Guy a candy cane, but I don't know a White Shy Guy, and if you're busy with your festivities-"

"Ooh, candy! No, this is a perfect time! Besides, it's my time to step down from leading the dances anyway. C'mon, Birdo and White Shy Guy are both helping out with the festival!"

Yoshi led Mario over to the food table, although Mario was slightly embarrassed that he couldn't take Yoshi completely seriously with quite the costume he had on. But, if it was traditional, he had no place to speak out.

Birdo had plates of food lined up her arms, each one landing on the tables in front of hungry Yoshi kids. A light blue one hopped up and down excitedly as a plate of fruit salad was placed in front of him.

"Thanks Birdo! This looks delicious!"

"Anytime, Kenny. You know you're welcome to eat at my place anytime you want!" Birdo said, smiling.

Kenny smiled back and proceeded to devour the plate in front of him. Similar reactions emitted from the rest of the Yoshi children at the table, and out of curiosity, Mario asked why.

"It's a bit of a sad tale," Yoshi began, rubbing the back of his head. "You see, most of the Yoshi kids here were just hatched a few weeks ago. There was this bad tropical storm, and all the parents did their best to protect their nests. Obviously, they succeeded, but…well, the parents didn't make it."

"Oh…I'm sorry, I didn't know…"

"It's all right. Unfortunately, the kids didn't hatch until after the storm, so they didn't even get to see their parents…except Kenny over there. He's the only one that vaguely remembers anything. The rest are getting along just fine with believing that we're all family, and I guess that's what really counts."

"No kidding," interrupted Birdo, placing down the last bit of food. "I've never seen so many orphans in one place, let alone caused by the same thing…Some other Birdo and I have had to keep these kids fed, and we all know how big of an appetite Yoshi have…"

Yoshi grinned sheepishly as Birdo turned to Mario.

"What brings you to the island, Mario?"

"I just came to give you guys a small treat…and after everything I've witnessed in the few minutes I've been here, I feel like it's too little!"

He handed them each a candy cane, which Yoshi lapped up immediately. Birdo gave him a look of disapproval before turning back to Mario.

"Mario, this is plenty enough. It's good to see that there's still some holiday cheer out there in the world."

"No kidding," mumbled Mario, scratching his ear.

Birdo then proceeded to break the candy cane into pieces, and gave a small bit to every kid at the table. They all marveled in sight of them, for they had never seen one before.

"It's called a candy cane, kids," Birdo explained. "They're sweet and very minty- go ahead, eat them!"

All seven kids at the table lashed out their tongues and lapped up their candy cane pieces, similar to Yoshi. All of them instantly swooned.

"This is the best thing I've ever tasted!" cried a pink Yoshi.

"Yeah, way better than any fruit I've ever tasted!" threw in a red one.

"Almost as cool as me," a black one began to boast.

"Wow, you gave up your candy cane for us…thanks, Birdo!" exclaimed Kenny.

"Yeah, thanks!" cheered the rest. Birdo just waved it off.

"It was nothing. Now, who's ready to go open some presents?"

All the kids screamed in excitement as they followed Birdo to where the presents were. Mario and Yoshi saw them off, then Yoshi proceeded to guide Mario to the White Shy Guy.

"Me and Whiters go way back," Yoshi began to reminisce. "Heh, you could say I knew him before I was born, Yoshi!"

Mario was taken to a lone tree stump, being sat on by the infamous White Shy Guy and was surrounded by even more Yoshi children. A white Yoshi was sitting on the Shy Guy's lap, and it appeared he was in the middle of telling a story.

"…so there I was, lost somewhere in Baby Bowser's Castle," he began to continue; sending shivers up the kids spines. "Even as a baby, ol' Bowser was quite insane. The castle was filled to the brim with fire, Boos, machines out to get me, and my own kind after me for treachery. But what I was doing wasn't bad- I just wanted to help out the poor baby Yoshi bunch, Yoshi kids just like you guys!"

"You're a real hero!" shrieked a small green one, one that was smaller than a Yoshi kid usually was. White Shy Guy just chuckled.

"Well, I hadn't done anything heroic yet, kiddo. See, these baby Yoshi were the only ones left to defend Yoshi's Island, braving dangers that no kid should ever have to go through. In the process, many of them managed to get captured by Bowser's goons, and brought to the castle, where no baby ought to be…"

"What happened next?" the green Yoshi interrupted again, leaning forward with interest.

"Well, even though the Shy Guys knew I wasn't on their side, the rest of Bowser's minions did not. Thus, I was able to infiltrate the castle, and rescue the Yoshi…however, I could only carry one Yoshi at a time, so I had to infiltrate the castle many, many times. When I finally made it down to the final Yoshi, it seemed we had a bond between us. He was small and green, just like you, kid."

The green Yoshi gasped in surprise as Yoshi walked up behind him.

"Yeah, and a Yoshi just like me! Then I grew up and saved babies just like my hero did," Yoshi said with a grin. Mario suddenly look confused.

"You weren't the one that saved me when I was a baby, were you?"

"Oh no, that was the old Yoshi!"

Mario raised an eyebrow.

"Erm…it's a Yoshi thing. Sorry Mario- I can't explain to an outsider."

"Eh, it's fine," Mario assured, pulling out a candy cane and handing it to the Shy Guy. "Here, Mister. Technically sent from Princess Peach herself!"

"Well, isn't that a royal treat?" cackled the Shy Guy, causing Yoshi to chime in with his laughter too. "It's been a long time since I had one of these, yessir…honestly, never thought I'd see one again, never leaving this island and all."

"Hey, you could've asked me to get you one," Yoshi pointed out. White Shy Guy shrugged.

"Nah, I forgot these even existed until now…thank you, fella! Made my day, it did!"

"Heh, you're welcome," Mario said sheepishly, feeling a bit odd at being called "fella". "Just what I do, I suppose."

As they discussed some more, something hit Mario in the back of the head, followed by someone yelling at the one who did it. Recognizing the voice, Mario turned around, only to be greedy by a mischievous orange Yoshi being hunted down by none other than Sushie.

"Biscuit, you'd better apologize to that man right now!" Sushie demanded. Mario glanced down and noticed that a melon had been thrown at him.

Good heavens.

"Sorry Mister," Biscuit muttered, running away afterward. Sushie shook her head and gathered up the melon.

"So sorry about that, Mario!" Sushie exclaimed, looking frantic. "Not the way I would have liked to meet up with you again."

"That goes double for me," Mario chuckled, rubbing the spot where the melon had hit him. "What brings you here all the way from LavaLava Island?"

"Well, I'm sure you've heard about the Yoshi Kid epidemic," Sushie began, to which Mario nodded. "They needed some extra help around here, and being a certified babysitter and all, how could I say no?"

"That's very nice of you," Mario stated, grinning. He really wanted to give Sushie a candy cane, but was she on Peach's list?

A quick check revealed that she was, so Mario began to pull out a candy cane. However, Sushie managed to catch sight of what he was pulling out and instantly recoiled.

"Candy canes?" she asked incredulously. Mario poked his head up from his stash and nodded.

"Yes, I have one for you if you-"

"Oh Mario, I'm terribly sorry but I must decline…my taste buds simply cannot stand candy canes!"

"…so you don't like them?"

"Not at all, no."

Mario stared at the candy cane he had grabbed and sighed. "Guess that means I've got an extra one on my hands…"

However, he forgot all about his candy cane issue as he looked out into the festival. Everyone looked so…happy, between the dancers ,the drummers, the eaters, the kids listening to the stories, the people eating food, and all the kids opening presents with Birdo…

"Hm," Mario mumbled, voicing his thoughts. "I can't remember the last time I celebrated a holiday like _this_ before…"

"Can you stay then, Mario, can you?" Yoshi asked, returning to the plumber's side while chowing down on an apple.

"Yeah, your presence has really been the life of the party!" added White Shy Guy.

"And we just got to meet again too," Sushie chimed in. Mario sighed happily and stood back up, hoisting the bag onto his shoulder once more.

"I'd love to stay, really I would…" his mustache rose as he smiled. "…but there's more people that I have to make happy, if they're not happy already!"

"We understand, Mario," Birdo said, holding Kenny in her arms. "We're still very glad you visited for as long as you did."

"Who knows? I might come back when I'm done!" Mario chuckled, making his way to the boat, and leaving behind a party with friends, family, and what holidays truly represented: simply being together.

* * *

><p><strong>Not over yet, folks! Still a whole 'nother chapter. Originally this wasn't going to end with Yoshi, but I put the end to this at the beginning of the next so now both chapters are even wordwise! :D *nerd*<strong>


	2. Part 2

**So yes, I went out on my last day of school before break and made sure to give each of the classmates a candy cane. It was fun, and I'm surprised that I got such positive reception. :D**

**That inspired this story, so as a fun fact, all these mini-stories are based on my own experiences.**

* * *

><p>Forty Little Candy Canes<p>

Part 2

Mario, now back on the mainland, was overlooking his list once more, counting how many candy canes he had already given away.

"There was Toad, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and Mona, then there was Daisy and Toadette, followed by Yoshi, Birdo, and White Shy Guy. That's ten, leaving me with thirty to go." Mario noted that was only a fourth of the way finished and groaned accordingly. "It doesn't help I'm left with an extra one, thanks to Sushie…"

He looked away from his list, glancing up and seeing that he was at his next destination.

"But I'm sure Peach won't mind if I deviate a little, right?"

Thus, Mario marched up the hill in Boo Woods, towards the lab that rested at the very top.

"Professor?" Mario called out, slowly pushing the door open in case the professor was in the middle of a dangerous invention testing.

Which he usually was.

When Mario heard a small yelp and a boom, he knew he'd done it. Waving his way through the smoke that was produced moments later, Mario located the small professor, also coughing as he babbled to himself about what could have possibly gone wrong.

"I know I put in that confounding gear in before I pushed the button…"

"Uh, is this a bad time, because I can always come back-"

"Mario!" Professor E. Gadd exclaimed, whirling around so fast that the tuff of hair on his head whipped about. "What an unexpected surprise! What brings you to my neck of the woods on a day like this?"

"Just wanted to stop by to drop off a small present," Mario explained, handing E. Gadd the next candy cane. "Nothing much, but-"

"EUREKA!"

Mario was on the floor seconds later. E. Gadd yelped and helped Mario back up.

"Erm, sorry about that. You've just solved my troubles!"

"Really? What a surprise," Mario muttered as he returned to his feet. "Uh, how exactly did I help?"

E. Gadd grabbed the candy cane and marched over to the contraption that was still spewing smoke everywhere. He did some reconfiguring inside the machine, eventually sticking the candy cane in the very center. Mario looked on curiously, but when the machine suddenly started making slush, E. Gadd walked over and held up a cone.

"I was able to fix my snow cone machine!"

"That's a snow cone machine?"

"Made it myself! Couldn't have fixed it without that Felix Hook you gave me, so thank you!"

"…it was a candy cane, but you're welcome, Professor."

"Yes, yes," E. Gadd returned to attending his machine. "You have a good holiday now, son!"

E. Gadd dismissed the conversation, but Mario didn't leave. He was pondering something, but he didn't want to bother if it wouldn't even work-

"Eh? You're still here?" E. Gadd asked. "I love the company, but I'm afraid I have no refreshments to serve!"

"Oh, no," Mario began, waving his hands. "I was just wondering if you could help me or not, but it's probably too farfetched…"

"Nothing is too farfetched, my boy!" E. Gadd declared, sticking a finger in the air. "What kind of help do you seek from me?"

Mario shifted his weight to one foot. "Well, I was wondering if you could help me deliver a candy cane to a friend…but she's on a comet that could be anywhere in space."

"Oh my. That does sound farfetched."

"Yeah, I know, so-"

"But not impossible!" he declared, scurrying off to parts unknown. Mario assumed it was better just to wait, and he turned out to be half right when E. Gadd returned with a lumbering machine. Mario could've even described the thing, besides the fact it was rather clunky. "Outside! Outside, my boy!"

"Okay, okay!" Mario exclaimed, following the overeager professor outside. E. Gadd looked like a kid on Christmas day, given a new project like this. Once they were in an open area of the woods, E. Gadd turned around and began to explain the purpose of the metal…thing.

"This is my Matter Transporter 3000!" E. Gadd began with gusto. "Give it any coordinates, place in any object that is not living, and presto! It's instantly transported!"

"Whoa…" Mario breathed, surprisingly impressed. "Will it send my candy cane to the comet?"

"I dunno. I've never tested it out, but now's a good time to try!"

Mario suddenly became skeptical.

"Now, we're talking about that one comet that comes around every one hundred years and returned not that long ago, correct?" Mario nodded. "All right! It's astronomic number is 49385869w-38948492QXF!"

"What does that even mean?"

"I dunno- I don't waste time giving comets and such random numbers and letters!"

With the coordinates punched in, E. Gadd inserted the candy cane and closed the hatch. Mario watched as it sputtered and sploinked, starting glow as well. Eventually the light became so blinding that Mario and E. Gadd had to shield their eyes, and once it faded away, E. Gadd opened the hatch.

The candy cane was gone.

"So…did it work?" Mario asked, sounding hopeful. E. Gadd shrugged.

"I dunno- I didn't make it that advanced…"

. . .

Way up somewhere in the far reaches of space, floating around on a blue comet, was a small, yellow, star-like creature known as a Luma. It flew around the Comet Observatory, simply enjoying itself and its ability to fly.

At least, until a foreign object landed on its head and knocked the Luma right out of its flight path.

"Ow…" it whined, rubbing its top and looking for the source of the pain. A small red and white object landed not too far from it, but the little star had no idea what it was.

"Perhaps Mama will know…" the Luma said to itself, struggling to lift the object that was about the same size at it. Once the Luma could carry it comfortably, it flew off to the middle of the comet, shouting, "Mama! Mama!"

A tall woman, dressed in teal and soft gold hair draping over her face, turned to the sudden sound. She wasn't doing anything in particular at that moment, so when a Luma carrying an object flew right into her, it was the highlight of her day.

"Are you all right, little one?" she asked, holding the small star child in her hand. The Luma shook it off and held out the candy cane.

"I'm fine! Do you know what this is, Mama?" the Luma asked, its curiosity taking over.

"I do say," hummed Polari, a black star with blue eyes that hovered over the woman's shoulder. "Rosalina, do you know what that is?"

Rosalina did not answer right away- she got lost in thought as soon as the object was placed into her possession.

"I…I know I've seen it before," she breathed, as if her mind was digging for that forgotten memory. "I can't remember what it's called…"

"Mama?" the yellow Luma asked, it and Polari suddenly surrounded by other Lumas of various different colors. Rosalina suddenly took off, making her way to the library. Naturally, all the Lumas followed her trail, some wanting to get to the bottom of the confusion, and some hoping for a story.

When they entered the room, Rosalina tore through the shelf, looking for anything related to the red and white cane she gripped so tightly. As she almost lost hope, the cosmic princess came across a green and red book, and she removed it from its shelf instantly and searched through the pages.

"It must be in here…" she said to herself, mesmerized. "It must be…"

Finally, she came across a page that had a picture matching the object that had struck the Luma. Rosalina breathed deeply, as she remembered now.

"It's a candy cane…"

"A candy cane?" asked Polari, speaking for the crowd of stars gathers behind him. Rosalina nodded.

"Yes…I remember…around Christmastime, my brother and I would eat these all the time…my parents used to buy these by the boxful…"

She floated over to her chair, sitting down as she reminisced aloud. Her Lumas obediently and politely listened quietly.

"The last Christmas with my mother…I gave her one of these," she smiled to herself. "It was all I could get, but she treated it like it was the best thing she'd ever received…"

"How'd it get here?" Polari questioned. "it just appeared from nowhere."

"I don't know…" Rosalina admitted, standing back up again and wiping away tears that began to form. "But I have a pretty good idea of who it came from."

She exited the library, returned back to her post in the middle of the Observatory. The Lumas exchanged glanced amongst themselves- none of them could comprehend what their Mama was feeling.

Rosalina clutched the candy cane close, closing her eyes and smiling to herself again. There was no way to know for sure, but Rosalina couldn't imagine getting such a gift from anyone else…

"Thank you, Mario…"

. . .

Now back in Toad Town, Mario was working on delivering the next group of candy canes. E. Gadd stated several times that he had no idea whether or not Rosalina received her candy cane, so Mario just told himself that she did and forged on his merry way. Whether she did or not, it got rid of his extra candy cane.

"Leaving me with twenty eight to deliver…" Mario trailed. "Though that number will be going down quite fast, quite shortly."

He finally reached Toad Town Square, where he had told the next set of people on his list to gather around. Most of them lived relatively close, so getting there was no problem at all. Mario smiled when he saw them all gathered there- it had been a really long time.

"There he is! There he is!" screamed a Goomba with a blue hat that resembled Mario's, beginning to jump up and down. The rest of the gang turned to where the Goomba was gesturing to and cried out happily.

"Mario!"

"Hey, guys," Mario chuckled, suddenly bombarded by hugs and pats from Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, Watt, Bow, and Lakilester. He had already met up with Sushie, and he knew Parakarry couldn't be found because of his frantic letter delivering. Peach apparently knew this too, because he was inexplicably left off the list.

"Hmm, I owe him something now," Mario pondered to himself as the hugs finally died down.

"So, what's the occasion?" Kooper asked, arms folded.

"Besides the fact it's the holidays, which is the best time of the year?" Bombette replied sarcastically with a smile.

"I dunno Bombette," Mario stated, pulling out six candy canes. "You're pretty close to the mark!"

"Candy!" cheered Watt, pushing her way to the front. Mario chuckled a bit and delivered her candy cane first. Content, she instantly began slurping on it, floating off to the side. "You're, um, the best, Mario!"

"Yeah, you've told me before," Mario laughed, handing over Lakilester's next. Lakilester took it and started eating it just like Watt.

"Heh, these are just as cool as me! Thanks, Mario-man!"

Mario nodded and handed over Bow's. She giggled to herself and spun around.

"Ahhahaha! This will look fine on my Christmas tree! Nothing like a small spot of candy to complete such a center piece!"

Mario figured Boos didn't want candy canes, if they even ate at all, but at least Bow had found a use for her candy cane, unlike Sushie. He then gave Bombette hers, and she retaliated with a kiss to the cheek. Now blushing, Mario hurriedly gave Kooper his.

"Heh heh, and there wasn't even any mistletoe, eh Mario?" the blue-shelled Koopa snickered. Mario's look was enough of a reply, but Kooper just ended up laughing harder.

"Anyway, last but not least for my biggest fan," Mario continued, giving Goombario the final candy cane.

He might as well have given him gold.

"Squee! Thank you, Mario! I'll treasure it forever!"

"I'd prefer it if you just ate it like everyone else, you know."

"Okay, okay! I can do that too!"

Mario watched as his first set of partners conversed among themselves, laughing and beginning to share stories like old times. He never expected it, but it felt good spreading joy like this!

Smiling to himself, he grabbed his bag with the twenty-two remaining canes and began to walk again. Bombette noticed him begin to leave in all the commotion and quickly ran over to ask why.

"Leaving so soon, Mario?"

"Yeah," Mario admitted regretfully. It was like on Yoshi's Island- he really wished he could stay longer to catch up some more. "But you're not my only set of partners you know."

. . .

"Once again, as soon as we heard you were coming to Rogueport, we all gathered to greet you!" exclaimed Goombella, surrounded by Koops, Yoshi Kid, Vivian, Bobbery, and Ms. Mowz.

"I already went to Yoshi's Island today," Mario explained. "What's another boat trip?"

"Didn't it take you three days to get here last time?" Koops asked. Mario nodded.

"Yeah, but I paid the guy extra to get me here and back extra fast- after I deliver my presents to you guys, I'll be more than halfway done!"

"Did someone say present?" Yoshi Kid asked, pushing his way through the crowd similarly to what Watt did. "Hit me with it, Gonzales!"

Mario was about to, but then noticed someone was missing.

"Hey…where's Flurrie?"

"She couldn't make it," Vivan sighed. "She's doing a really big Christmas production in Neon Heights, and she won't be home for Christmas. She'll be back by New Year's, though."

Mario frowned. "Aw, that's too bad. Now I'm left with another extra candy cane…"

"I'd be willing to take it off your hands, Gonzales," Yoshi Kid offered, only to be jabbed by Bobbery.

"Now, you know just as well as the rest of us that that candy cane should go to someone that needs it more than you do!"

"Agreed," added Ms. Mowz, having already swiped her candy cane form right under Mario's nose. "It wouldn't be fair if you got more than everyone one else, no?"

Yoshi Kid sighed. "No, I guess not…"

Mario patted him on the back and handed Yoshi Kid his candy cane, along with Bobbery's.

"Thanks, old chap! Scarlette and I used to eat these all the time," the old sailor laughed. "Sure brings back memories!"

Mario smiled and passed out Koops' and Vivian's, the latter who hugged him, which was a step down from what Bombette had done. He then finally gave Goombella hers, and she grinned in returned.

"I think I just might give this to Frankly! He's been working really hard lately, so he deserves a little something before Christmas, don'tcha think?"

"I think that's a great idea," Mario agreed, beginning to scan his list again. However, when his eyes scanned just who was next on his list, he noticeably blanched.

"Are you all right?" gasped Koopa and Vivian.

"Er…I'm fine. Uh…"

"You need to leave now, don't you?" Ms. Mowz guessed. Mario nodded.

"Erm…it might be for the best. Sorry to leave on such short notice, guys."

"No problem, bucko!" Goombella assured. "Just do us all a favor and have a Merry Christmas, m'kay?"

"You can count on that!" he promised as he gave her and wink and stepped on the boat.

But with the next stop he was about to make, he didn't know if would live to see Christmas.

. . .

"Daddy, can we open presents now?" whined a little Koopa girl with a large pink bow plopped on her head.

"Yeah, c'mon, I want presents now!" shouted a Koopa boy with a pink head and red sunglasses.

"Why?" scoffed the eldest brother, sporting a wild blue hairdo and sharp, perfectly pointed fangs. "We just get one thing we really want and rest is all coal!"

"That's enough Koopalings!" roared Bowser, stomping his foot and silencing his eight children. "No one is getting a single present today- you all have to wait until Christmas! So ha!"

As several of the kids groaned in response, the rest noticed that their chimney started to rumble.

"What in the world?" asked Iggy.

"What could that be?" wondered Lemmy.

"…When did we get a chimney?" Larry wanted to know.

Morton walked up to the chimney and looked up it, trying to figure out what had gotten stuck up there.

He found out moments later when a chubby man in red with a sack and facial hair suddenly landed on him.

"Santa!" cheered Bowser Junior, ignoring the fact that his brother had been crushed by said man.

"What a baby! That's obviously not Santa," huffed Wendy, staring at her pink-painted nails.

"Yeah, Santa would never come here!" threw in Roy. "We're bad to the bone! We're so bad, he doesn't even come to deliver coal!"

"Besides, he too short to be Santa," Iggy pointed out intelligently, adjusting his glasses.

"And he's not fat enough," added Lemmy.

"Looks pretty fat to me," snickered Larry.

"I can hear every word you're saying," groaned the man, shaking his head.

Going down a chimney that probably shouldn't be there…never again.

"Someone get this oaf off me!" Morton cried, only to finally be assisted by Junior.

"What pitiful fool dares to infiltrate my awesome lair?" Bowser boomed, lifting the man away from Junior and Morton.

Shaking the soot off, it was easily seen that the man was Mario.

"WHAT! MARIO? I haven't even kidnapped the princess yet!" Bowser barked. "Sneak attack!"

"Let's beat him like a piñata!" shouted Wendy, pulling out her wand and preparing to use it.

"We'll use his hat as a tree decoration!" yelled Roy.

"His overall can be used as a tree skirt!" shrieked Lemmy.

"His head will make a fine tree topper," Ludwig said devilishly, rubbing his hands together.

"Or a nice stocking stuffer for King Dad!" cheered Larry.

"You're a baaaaaad man, Mario!" Junior finished off.

"Hold on, hold on, Mama mia!" cried Mario, still dangling in Bowser's grip. "Before you scatter me throughout your tree, know that I come in peace!"

"So?" snorted Bowser.

"I come bearing gifts!"

"Now we're talking!"

The Koopa King dropped his arch rival and looked just as giddy as his children did. As soon as Mario pulled himself together, he found eight Koopalings throwing themselves at him and clawing at his bag. If they weren't careful, the whole thing would tear.

"Take it easy, kids," Mario ordered, wrestling the bag away from the greedy hands of Wendy, Roy, and Morton. "What I brought you probably won't appreciate anyway."

However, when he pulled out eight candy canes and threw them out, all eight children dove after them and battled to see which Koopaling got which specific candy cane.

"Get outta my way! I love these things!"

"I haven't had one of these since I was seven!"

"Junior, you're eight."

"Exactly!"

"I'm pretty sure they're all the same," Ludwig muttered, rolling his eyes as he inspected his. He turned to Mario, sending a chill down the plumber's spine. But there was no need, for Ludwig smiled moments later. "Thank you, Mario. I'll probably be the only one that thanks you, though."

Mario shrugged. "Eh, you're welcome-"

"It's still too bad your head won't be mounting our tree anytime soon."

Mario blanched again as Ludwig headed up to his room, seeking a bit of peace from his rowdy younger siblings. As the rest of the Koopalings finally got their candy canes sorted out, Mario found himself hoisted by his overalls once again and staring face to face with Bowser's ugly mug.

"Just because you might please my kids doesn't mean you get to leave here with your life, Mario!" Bowser boomed.

"Not even if I gave you a candy cane too?" Mario asked, fighting to free himself of his arch foe's grip.

"No."

"Not even if I told you they came from Peach?"

Bowser's eyes lit up, but his stance stayed firm.

"Hmph, now you're just messing with me."

"No, no, it's true!" Mario insisted, shoving his hand in his pocket and pulling out Peach's list. "See, this list is written in her handwriting, and it's got your name on it too!"

"Lemme see," Bowser grunted, snatching the list with the hand that wasn't restraining the plumber. Sure enough, it _was_ written in Peach's swoopy handwriting, and Bowser's name_ was_ on it.

Silently, Bowser lowered Mario to the ground, handing him back the list and thinking to himself with a blank expression spread across his face. Mario handed him his candy cane, to which Bowser also accepted quietly.

"When you see Peach again," Bowser began, shoving the candy cane in her mouth. "Tell her I said thanks!"

"I don't get a thanks?"

"You're just the delivery boy."

Making a face, Mario began to head toward the front gate this time, walking past the Koopalings arguing over whose candy cane tasted best. However, Bowser called out to him at the last moment.

"The last four people on your list should be down the hall," Bowser explained. "You can hit them on your way out, I suppose."

Mario blinked in surprise. "Gee, thanks Bowser-"

"But you are aware that there's only thirty-eight names on that list, correct?"

"No, there can't be," Mario defended, easily brushing it off. "I started off with forty little candy canes, and Peach told me that each one must be delivered to the people on this list!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Bowser huffed, heading off to go sit on his throne. "Just don't come crying to me when you realize that two are left over."

Mario just watched the Koopa King march off, hardly even noticing Junior poking him in the side and saying, "You might've brought me a candy cane, but you're still a bad man!"

. . .

"Bowser always was bad with math," Mario mused to himself, exploring the halls of his enemy's castle. "He had to have miscounted. There's no need to check my list…"

"No need to check what list, Mario?" a voice rang out, and Mario struck a battle stance, knowing he was being ambushed.

Boomerang Bro. jumped in front of him, Mario ducking just as the boomerang whizzed over his head. Fire Bro landed to his left, and Ice Bro. landed to his right, both of the hurling balls of their respective element. Mario jumped over them; the attacks cancelled each other out.

"So, decided to sneak into, eh?" Hammer Bro. asked, walking up from behind Mario. "Yo yo! We'll give ya a Christmas greeting! We'll hammer it into ya!"

"And we'll burn ya!" added Fire Bro.

"It'll come right back at ya!" threw in Boomerang Bro.

"And…uh…we'll put you on ice?" finished Ice Bro. hopefully. Hammer Bro. slapped his forehead.

"Well, getting better…"

Mario did not look the slightest bit amused.

"Look, I came here to deliver you guys candy canes-"

"Really? !" squealed Fire, Boomerang, and Ice, all running to Mario and jumping up and down excitedly. Hammer Bro.'s guard dropped as he sighed and went over to join his brothers. Mario passed out his final four candy canes, with the exception of the one that was supposed to go to Flurrie.

To his horror, he found that Bowser had been right, and that there were two candy canes left over.

"Something wrong, Mario?" asked Fire Bro., he and the other brothers hardly paying attention to anything other than their candy canes. Mario didn't hear him, for he whipped out his list and checked it over- twice.

"Toad, Luigi, Wario, Mona, Waluigi, Daisy, Toadette, Yoshi, Birdo, White Shy Guy, E. Gadd, Sushie- her candy cane went to Rosalina, Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, Watt, Bow, Lakilester, Goombella, Koops, Flurrie- I still have hers though, Yoshi Kid, Vivan, Bobbery, Ms. Mowz, Bowser, Junior, the seven Koopalings, and the four Hammer Brothers…"

"Sounds like thirty-eight people to me," said Boomerang Bro with his mouth full.

"Yeah, just shy of forty!" exclaimed Hammer Bro.

"Shame, shame," sighed Ice Bro., shaking his head.

"Hmph," grunted Mario, shoving his list into his pocket. "Tell me something I don't know…"

. . .

It was starting to get dark, and Mario was a little sore because it took longer to get back from the Bowser Badlands than the round trips to Yoshi's' Island and Rogueport combined! His legs were exhausted, and he was really tired from all the Christmas cheer he had witnessed, if not spread himself. Even the Koopalings and the Hammer Bros.- they didn't show it too much, if even at all, but deep down they were grateful to Mario for coming all that way just to give them a small sign that it was the holidays…

"And I'm left with three extra candy canes, and still no clue as to why Peach had me do this to begin with…"

He collapsed on a bench, back in Toad Town once again. His first set of partners was long gone, probably having a get together at Kooper's house or Bow's Mansion. Luigi was presumably back at the house, and when Mario returned there, he'd most likely be greeted by even more overabundant holiday attire.

"Crazy Luigi…" Mario chuckled to himself, shaking his head.

His brother always seemed to know just what the holidays were about, along with most of the other people he delivered candy canes too. But Mario just now realized that ever since he found the desire to give one to Rosalina, he wanted to give some to more people. He didn't have to gather up his old friends in Toad Town, he didn't _have_ to travel all the way to Rogueport, and he certainly didn't _need_ to venture to his arch enemy's castle to give him, his children, and his minions candy canes either.

He did all that just because he wanted to.

At first, and Mario wasn't going to lie, he didn't want to do this. There was no way he'd ever tell Peach that he disapproved of the "burden" she'd place of him, making him travel far and wide just to deliver something as simple as a little candy cane. But after witnessing Toad's generosity, Luigi's zealous nature, meeting a new friend in Mona and White Shy Guy, seeing that Wario could put off being greedy just for a few mere seconds (though it was in exchange for something), Daisy returning a hug to a little girl, Toadette always thinking of others, and Yoshi and Birdo celebrating with their friends and family- and taking care of orphans! How could anyone's heart stay cold after seeing all that?

"Peach knew, somehow," Mario told himself. "I want to know _how_ more than I want to know _why_, now…"

His once full bag sat next to him, now resting limp with the three remaining candy canes inside. Mario frowned to himself as he found himself glancing at the bag once more

"I have to at least give away one more candy cane…" Mario decided, pulling out the one meant for Flurrie. "That way, at least the list can be fully finished…"

As if it was a Christmas miracle, Mario suddenly heard some commotion a ways away from him. He arose from the bench, candy cane in hand and bag over shoulder, and followed the sound.

Just down the path was a huge group of various citizens, all of the same races that were at the mall earlier that day. Some of them had gathered in the square to exchange a few gifts. Mario didn't want to disturb them, so he just stayed off to the side and quietly watched.

"Here's one for you, and you, and you, and you too," said a very stylish-looking female Toad, passing out presents to all the "You's" specified. As she did so, a female Koopa wearing a green reporter's cap and pink boots bounced all around the circle, snapping photos from all angles.

"Yeah, yeah!" she cheered, loving all her photos. "I can see the headlines now- "Gift Exchange Among Gifted Friends!" Yeah, yeah, that could work!"

"Take it easy, Kylie," sneered a female Bob-omb. "You're starting to get a little annoying, ya know."

"Yeah, be lucky we even allowed you to tag along," huffed a Shy Guy, this one wearing a snowcap. Kylie lowered her camera and tilted her head.

"Huh? I thought you invited me along 'cause you lot had gifts for me as well, not just to get the recognition?"

"No," said a second Toad, adjusting her scarf that she received from the Mowzer standing next to her. "It was just for the recognition, Sorry, sweetie."

"Just couldn't afford to get anything for you," the first Toad explained, patting Kylie's shoulder.

"Maybe next year?" suggested the Shy Guy, as he finished opening the last gift.

Kylie was silent until she snapped one last photo. "Yeah…okay guys…"

Mario watched with horror as the large group flocked away as one, leaving Kylie behind looking really disappointed, almost on the verge of tears. Mario had only known her for a short time during an adventure before, but he knew he well enough that it took a lot to get her down.

"Oh…why does everything always come up lemons?" she sighed to herself, her camera dangling from her drooped arm. "Oh well- the Koopa Chronicle still needs a good Christmas story, and I'm sure this'll definitely do…"

"Kylie…?" Mario asked cautiously, emerging from his watching place and approaching her. Kylie's head snapped up as she jumped and face Mario.

"Gee whiz, whiskers! Scaring the raspberries outta me!"

"Sorry, sorry…" Mario scratched the back of his head. "I was just passing by, and I couldn't help but overhear what just happened-"

"Oh, that?" Kylie shrugged it off. "It's no skin off this dame's nose, really. I figured they'd pull a stunt like that. I just didn't think they'd come right out and tell me like that."

"It still upset you, didn't it?" Mario asked quietly. Kylie had a response prepared, but only came out as a sigh as she nodded slowly.

"Not even one of them bothered to think of me…"

Mario shuffled the candy cane behind his back for quite some time, trying to figure out how to go about giving it to her. However, Kylie's keen instinct for spotting things caught onto Mario's uneasiness before he could think of anything.

"What're you fiddling with back there, whiskers? You know you can't get anything past these highly trained peepers!"

Mario shrugged and simply held out the candy cane. It caught Kylie off guard at first, until Mario explained that it was for her.

"I know that it isn't much, but…well, I guess you could say I was thinking of you, ya know."

Kylie finally caught on, a smile returning to her face as she was handed the peppermint stick.

"Well, whad'ya know?" Kylie hummed, tapping the candy cane in her palm. "Looks like not everyone isn't a jerk during the holidays!"

She then proceeded to hug Mario, which Mario returned.

"Believe me, Kylie…" Mario began to trail. "…you have no idea what it took to get there."

. . .

Peach was still at the same spot as she was that morning, still staring longingly at the window. She hoped that if she'd stared outside long enough, then just maybe more snow would begin to fall.

It wasn't happening anytime soon.

The door creaked as it was opened, causing the princess to jump in surprise. Once Mario's red hat poked through the door though, Peach quickly hurried over.

"Back already?" Peach giggled. "I'd figured you would've gone home when you were finished!"

Mario shuffled his feet. "Well…I'm not sure if I can say that I'm finished yet…"

Peach looked curious. "What do you mean? Did you not deliver all forty candy canes?"

"Well," Mario circled his hand around. "I delivered candy canes to everyone on the list, technically…but there were only thirty-eight names on the list."

Peach gasped, her hand hiding her smile from the hero standing next to her. "Oh, really? Did I happen to forget to add two more names to that list?"

"I'm not entire sure what happened," Mario explained handing the final two candy canes to Peach. "I didn't even realize until I made it to Bowser's place!"

"So you actually went there?" Peach asked, accepting the candy canes. Mario nodded.

"Yeah…" Mario glanced at the floor for the briefest moment, then looked back up at Peach. "Um, I suppose there's something I should tell you, Peach…"

"Yes, Mario?"

Mario shoved his hands embarrassedly into his pockets; one of his hands brushed against the no longer needed list.

"See, when I agreed to do this, I only said yes to not let you down," Mario confessed. "I really had no idea what you meant when you said that people were forgetting that it was the holidays, with the lack of snow and all. But the first few people I delivered to were the nicest bunch I'd ever seen!"

"And they were all your closest friends," Peach pointed out. Mario nodded.

"Yeah, along with some new ones. I was upset that I had to run around and even travel to far places for something I originally thought insignificant. But then I came to realize that I liked delivering candy canes and making people happy, so much that I even gathered up friends I hadn't seen in a while and delivered to my enemies!

"I guess…" Mario concluded, his eyes slowly gazing back down again. "That_ I_ was the one who forgot about what the holidays were all about. You knew that the whole time, which is why everything felt so planned…"

"Turns out I wasn't the only one grumpy about no snow," Peach giggled with a wink.

"Now I just wish all forty candy canes had been given to people- counting giving you both, that's only thirty-nine."

"Well," Peach decided, placing her hands on her hips. "Allow me to make it a solid forty."

She handed out the final candy cane to Mario, giving him a warm smile as well.

"I believe you've learned a very valuable lesson today, and that you deserve this. Happy holidays, Mario."

Mario said nothing as he accepted his own candy cane- he hadn't even thought that he could've taken it! He'd always thought that the candy canes should be given to others; not once did the thought cross him that he could get one himself.

Feeling satisfied, more than he ever thought he would, he joined Peach in gazing out the window at the night. He could see Yoshi's Island way out in the distance, the warming glow of the party still lighting up the whole island.

A Luma suddenly descended upon the Christmas tree in the center of Toad Town, spinning around it several times and decorating it with dozens of Star Bits. Once it placed itself at the top of the tree and "TRANSFOOOOORMED" into a Christmas star, Mario knew that Rosalina had received her candy cane.

Almost instantly after that, a loud spluttering and sploinking could be heard, and Mario and Peach glanced down as E. Gadd chased his out-of-control snow cone machine. Eventually, it burst, releasing whole cloud of fluffy white ice, ending up covering the Christmas tree and the entire town. Peach cried out in joy, while Mario couldn't help but smile and shake his head- nothing short of a miracle!

Say what you will, but there was no way that Peach or Mario were ever going to deny that it began to snow.

* * *

><p><strong>Happy Holidays, guys. ;)<strong>


End file.
